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William Dodd
| death_date = }} Rev. William Dodd (29 May 1729 - 27 June 1777) was an English poet, an Anglican clergyman, and a man of letters. He lived extravagantly, and was nicknamed the "Macaroni Parson". He dabbled in forgery in an effort to clear his debts, was caught and convicted, and, despite a public campaign for a Royal pardon, was hanged at Tyburn for forgery. Life Youth Dodd was born in Bourne in Lincolnshire, the son of the local vicar. He attended Clare Hall, Cambridge, where he earned a B.A. in 1750.Rev. William Dodd (1729-1777), English Poetry, 1579-1830, Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Web, June 5, 2016. He then moved to London, where his spendthrift habits soon left him in debt. He married impulsively on 15 April 1751, to Mary Perkins, daughter of a domestic servant, leaving his finances in an even more precarious position. Priesthood At the urging of his concerned father, he decided to take holy orders. He and was ordained a deacon in 1751 and a priest in 1753, serving as a curate in a church in West Ham, then as a preacher at St James Garlickhythe, and then at St Olave Hart Street. He became a popular and fashionable preacher, and was appointed as a chaplain in ordinary to the King in 1763. He became a prebend in Brecon, and was a tutor to Philip Stanhope, later 5th Earl of Chesterfield. He earned an M.A. in 1759, and became a Doctor of Laws at Cambridge in 1766. After he won £1,000 in a lottery, he became involved in schemes to build the Charlotte Chapel in Pimlico, and bought a share of the Charlotte Chapel in Bloomsbury. Despite his profession, he continued his extravagant lifestyle, and became known as the "macaroni parson". In 1772, he became rector of Hockliffe, in Bedfordshire, and vicar of Chalgrave. Bribery In 1774, in an attempt to rectify his depleted finances, he attempted to obtain the lucrative position of rector of St George's, Hanover Square. He wrote a letter to Lady Apsley, wife of the Lord Chancello, offering her £3,000 to secure the position. The letter was traced back to Dodd, and he was dismissed from his existing posts. He became an object of public ridicule, and was taunted as "Dr. Simony" in a play by Samuel Foote in the Haymarket Theatre. He spent two years abroad, in Geneva and France, while the scandal subsided. He returned to England in 1776. In The Luck of Barry Lyndon Thackeray has his protagonist refer to meeting "Dr Simony" in Soho and to a friendship with Foote. Forgery and execution In February 1777, Dodd forged a bond for £4,200 in the name of his former pupil, the Earl of Chesterfield, to clear his debts. A banker accepted the bond in good faith, and lent him money on the strength of it. Later the banker noticed a small blot in the text and had the document re-written. When the clean copy was presented to the Earl to sign, in order to replace the old one, the forgery was discovered. Dodd immediately confessed, and begged time to make amends. He was, however, imprisoned in the Wood Street Compter pending trial. He was convicted, and sentenced to death (see the full record of the trial under External References below.) Samuel Johnson wrote several papers in his defence, and some 23,000 people signed a 37-page petition seeking a pardon. Nevertheless, Dodd was publicly hanged at Tyburn, London, on 27 June 1777. Writing Dodd wrote several published works, including poems, a novel, and theological tracts. His most successful work was The Beauties of Shakespeare (1752). He also wrote a Commentary on the Bible (1765–1770), and composed the blank verse Thoughts in Prison while in Newgate Prison between his conviction and execution. "It concentrates his mind wonderfully" Dodd's sermon The Convict's Address to his Unhappy Brethren was largely written by Samuel Johnson to be used as Dodd's own. When one of Johnson's friends doubted the authorship, Johnson, in order to protect Dodd, made his famous remark "Depend upon it Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully". James Boswell gives Johnson's explanation of the circumstances in his Life of Samuel Johnson: :Johnson disapproved of Dr. Dodd's leaving the world persuaded that The Convict's Address to his unhappy Brethren was of his own writing. 'But, Sir, (said I,) you contributed to the deception; for when Mr. Seward expressed a doubt to you that it was not Dodd's own, because it had a great deal more force of mind in it than any thing known to be his, you answered, --"Why should you think so? Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."' JOHNSON. Sir, as Dodd got it from me to pass as his own, while that could do him any good, there was an IMPLIED PROMISE that I should not own it. To own it, therefore, would have been telling a lie, with the addition of breach of promise, which was worse than simply telling a lie to make it be believed it was Dodd's. Besides, Sir, I did not DIRECTLY tell a lie: I left the matter uncertain. Perhaps I thought that Seward would not believe it the less to be mine for what I said; but I would not put it in his power to say I had owned it.' Publications Poetry *''Diggon Davy's Resolution, on the Death of his Last Cow: A pastoral''. Londn: J. Oliver, for M. Cooper, 1747. *''The African Prince when in England, to Zara; and Zara's answer''. London: J. Payne & J. Bouquet, 1749; London: Waller / Ward, 1755. *''A new book of the Dunciad''. London: J. Payne & J. Bouquet, 1750; Dublin: James Esdall, 1750. *''An Elegy on the Death of the Prince of Wales''. London: B. Dod, 1751. *''A Day in Vacation at College: A burlesque poem''. London: W. Owen / Cambridge, UK: T. Merrill, 1751. *''An Epistle to a Lady: Concerning truths in religion''. London: privately published, 1753. *''Thoughts on the Glorious Epiphany of Christ: A poetical essay''. London: W. Faden, for E. Dilly, 1758. *''Ode to the Marchioness of Granby''. 1759. *''Hymn to Good Nature''. 1760. *''Poems''. London: privately published, printed by Dryden Leach, 1767. *"A journey from Margate to Brighelmstone, in the year 1763," in A collection of Miscellaneous Poetry (edited by F.G. Waldron). London: Knight & Compton, or Lackington, Allen, 1802. *''Moral Pastorals, and other poems''. Edinburgh: H.S. Baynes, 1824. Novel *''The Sisters; or, The history of Lucy and Caroline Sanson''. (2 volumes), London: T. Waller, 1754. Non-fiction *''A sermon preached ... before the president and governors of the city lying-in hospital''. London: Charles Say, 1754. *''The Sinful Christian Condemned by His Own Prayers''. London: T. Waller / E. Dilly, 1755; London: W. Faden, 1770. *''The Easiness of Christ's Yoke: A sermon''. London: T. Waller / W. Owen / W. Faden / E. Dilly, 1756. *''The Nature and Necessity of Fasting''. London: E. Dilly, 1756. *''Discourses on the Miracles and Parables''. 4 volumes, . London: T. Waller / W. Faden / E. Dilly, 1757-1758. *''A Sermon Preached ... before the Governors of the Magdalen House''. London: L. Davis & C. Reymers / W. Faden, 1759. *''Unity Recommended in a Sermon''. London: W. Faden, for L. Davis & C. Reymers, 1759. *''A Sermon ... preached at the Chapel of the Magdalen House''. London: W. Faden, for L. Davis & C. Reymers, 1760. *''The Wisdom and Goodness of God in the Vegetable Kingdom: A sermon''. London: L. Davis & C. Reymers / W. Bristow, 1760. *''Account of the Magdalen Charity''. London: W. Faden, for the Magdalen Charity, 1761. *''A Conference between a Mystic, an Huchinsonian ... and others''. London: L. Davis & C. Reymers, 1761. *''The Wisdom and Goodness of God in the Vegetable Kingdom: Farther considered in a second sermon''. London: L. Davis & C. Reymers / W. Bristow, 1761. *''The Wisdom and Goodness of God in the Vegetable Kingdom: Farther considered in a third sermon''. London: W. Faden / W. Bristow, 1762. *''A Familiar Explication of the Poetical Works of Milton''. London: J. & R. Tonson, 1762. *''The Frequency of Capital Punishments: Inconsistent with justice, sound policy, and religion''. London: W. Faden / B. Law / E. & C. Dilly, 1762; Dublin: William Hallhead, 1777. *''A Sermon before the governors of the Magdalen Charity''. London: W. Faden, for the Magdalen Charity, 1762. *''Youth Dissuaded from Vice; in a discourse''. London: 1763. *''Reflections on Death''. London: J. Newberry, 1763; Dublin: Hulton Bradley, 1763. *''Comfort for the Afflicted ... with suitable devotions''. London: Edward & Charles Dilly, 1764; Dublin: James Potts, 1772. *''A Commonplace Book to the Bible''. London: T. Osborne / W. Johnston / et al, 1766. *''Mutual Knowledge in a Future State ... in a sermon''. London: W. Faden, 1766. *''The practice of inoculation recommended. A sermon''. London: W. Faden, or the Small-pox Hospitals, 1767? *''Popery Inconsistent with the Natural Rights of Man in General, and of Englishmen in particular: A sermon''. London: W. Faden, 1768. *''Cautions against Methodism ... in a sermon''. London: W. Faden, 1769. *''A Sermon on Zechariah ... preached before the ... governors of the Magdalen Hospital''. London: W. Faden, for F. Newbery, 1769. *''Sermons to Young Men''. (3 volumes), London: J. Knox / T. Cadell, 1771. *''The Prisoner Released: A sermon''. London: W. Faden, for E. & C. Dilly / W. Brown & J. Knox / S. Leacroft / et al, 1772. *''Compassion to infants enforced, in a sermon''. London: S. Leacroft, 1773. *''An oration delivered at the dedication of Free-Mason's Hall''. London: G. Robinson, 1776. *''An Account of the Magdalen Hospital''. London: W. Faden, for the Magdalen Hospital, 1776. *''A Sermon ... before the Humane Society''. London: Humane Society, 1776. *''The Convict's Address to his Unhappy Brethren'' (with Samuel Johnson). London: G. Kearsly, 1777; Dublin: W. Spotswood, 1777. *''Thoughts in Prison: In five parts''. London: Edward and Charles Dilly / G. Kearsly, 1777. *''The Beauties of History; or, Pictures of virtue and vice''. London: Vernor & Hood / E. Newbery / Darton & Harvey, 1795. *''Thoughts in Prison, and other miscellaneous pieces''. London: C. Cooke, 1796. Translated *Callimachus, The Hymns of Callimachus Translated. London: T. Waller, 1755. Edited *William Shakespeare, The Beauties of Shakespeare: Regularly selected from each play. (2 volumes), London: T. Waller, 1752. *Joseph Hall, Contemplations on the histories of the New Testament. (2 volumes), London: B. Law, 1759. *''The Christian's magazine: or a treasury of divine knowledge''. London: J. Newbery / J. Coote, 1760-1767. *''The Visitor; by several hands'' (2 volumes), London: Edward & Charles Dilly, 1764; Dublin: James Williams, 1768. *''The Holy Bible; with a commentary and practical improvements''. (3 volumes), London: W. Davis, 1765-70. Journals *''Occasional Papers, by the late William Dodd'' (edited by Samuel Johnson). London: G. Kearsley, 1777. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:William Dodd, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Ine. Web, June 5, 2016. See also *List of British poets References *Boswell, James, Life of Johnson, 1777 passim, for more information on Johnson's work in behalf of Dodd. ISBN 978-0-14-043662-4 (and several other editions with different ISBNs, as well as various public domain editions) *Brack, O.M., The Macaroni Parson, Life of William Dodd *Howson, Gerald, The Macaroni Parson: A Life of the Unfortunate Dr. Dodd. London, Hutchinson, 1973 ISBN 0-09-115170-8. Notes External links ;Poems *William Dodd at Poetry Nook (1 poem) *Rev. William Dodd (1729-1777) info & 13 poems at English Poetry, 1579-1830 ;About *Dr William Dodd from the Newgate Calendar *Dr. Dodd, the publisher *Full record of Dodd's trial at the Old Bailey Online *William Dodd in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica Category:1729 births Category:1777 deaths Category:Forgers Category:English criminals Category:18th-century English Anglican priests Category:English poets Category:18th-century English novelists Category:18th-century executions by Great Britain Category:People from Bourne, Lincolnshire Category:Executed people from Lincolnshire Category:People executed for forgery Category:People executed by England and Wales by hanging Category:Members of the clergy convicted of fraud Category:British male poets Category:English male novelists Category:18th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:English clergy Category:Poets Category:Poets executed